Alexsandro could miss Lille’s clash with Toulouse following ‘dangerous’ international duty | OneFootball

Lille OSC’s Alexsandro (26) was absent from training today following his return from international duty with Brazil. The centre-back played the full ninety minutes of his nation’s 1-0 defeat away to Bolivia at the Estadio Municipal de El Alto, a stadium 4088 metres above sea level.

The circumstances of the game, in particular, the altitude of the stadium, have given Lille pause for thought, with the club expressing their concern. Bruno Génésio told reporters in today’s press conference that “Alex didn’t train this morning. He’ll do something very light tomorrow because of the travel, the time difference, and this match in extreme, even dangerous conditions. There are a lot of uncertainties.”

He continued, “If you’ve ever played sport, even just in Tignes or Val d’Isère [two ski resorts in the French Alps], you can imagine what it means to play a football match at 4000 metres [above sea level].” A point that was supported by the club president, Olivier Létang, who added, tongue-in-cheek, “It’s not serious for the player’s health, making him climb more than 4000 metres in altitude, making him come back down, making him travel to Europe, and asking him to play. We’re putting the physical integrity of the players at risk.”

Alexsandro has become one of the centrepieces at Lille this season, with the club refusing to lose both him and Bafodé Diakité over the summer transfer window (with the latter now at AFC Bournemouth).

Lille sit third in the table ahead of Sunday, when they host Toulouse FC at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Les Dogues are the early season entertainers having scored 11 in their first three matches.

GFFN | Nick Hartland